Portable fluid delivery device



I Inventur W .V nM/(m Q w mw Q E g w Filed Feb. 26, 1947 G LAMBERT PORTABLE FLUID DELIVERY 'DEVICE Jan. '2, 1951 Patented Jan. 2, 1951 PORTABLE FLUID DELIVERY DEVICE Geoffrey Lambert, Denham, England, assigner to Specialties Development Corporation, Belleville, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 26, 1947, Serial No. 730,933 In Great Britain February 27, 1946 This invention relates to portable devices for delivering fluid under pressure. One particular use for such devices is for extinguishing fires in standing aircraft. Such lires are liable to occur when starting up the aircraft engines and can usually be brought under control or extinguished if nre-extinguishing fluid is quickly applied to the region of the re. The nacelles of large aircraft are, however, located at a considerable height above the ground, say ten or twelve feet, and a one-piece stili tubular device for delivering reextinguishing uid under pressure would therefore be heavy and awkward to manipulate. To overcome this drawback it has been proposed to use a nre-extinguishing device of telescopic construction, the extension member or members being surmounted by a foamproducing head and being raisable by means such as a winch.

The use of a re-extinguishng medium stored under gaseous pressure in storage cylinders such, for example, as liquid carbon-dioxide stored under its own vapour pressure, or methyl bromide stored under its vapour pressure assisted by an inert gas such as nitrogen, presents certain advantages over the use of fire-extinguishing foam compositions, but any lengthy but portable fire-extinguishing device operating with such tire-extinguishing media must, on the one hand, be light, and, on the other hand, it must be strong enough to withstand the considerable pressure incidental to the use of such media. Moreover, in the case of using carbon-dioxide, sudden changes in sectional area along the delivery path from the Vstorage cylinder to the outlet from the device must be avoided in order to prevent the formation of carbon-dioxide snow and the consequently clogging of the delivery path.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a simple and reliable device of portable form and improved construction for delivering fire-extinguishing medium in circumstances such as above indicated and free from the disadvantages or drawbacks above mentioned.

According to the present invention a portable telescopic device for delivering a jet of fire-extinguishng medium under high pressure is provided and the novel characteristic of the same consists in utilizing the pressure of the medium to cause the telescopic extending movement and in obviating the shock between the relatively moving parts at the end of the said movement by an air cushioning eff-ect. From a constructional point of view, therefore, the improved device can be stated to consist of a body section 3 Claims. (Cl. 299-411) and at least one telescopic extension section, each section comprising an outer rigid tube of sufficiently large diameter to alford longitudinal rigidity and a substantially smaller inner tube supported by the outer tube and of sufficient bursting strength to withstand the high` delivery pressure, means for sealing the components of the extension section slidably with respect to the body section components, an ejection nozzle mounted on the upper end of the extension section, means for conveying the medium under pressure into and` through the device by way of the respective inner tubes of the said sections and nally through the ejection nozzle, means whereby the pressure of the medium being delivered by the device is caused to propel auto matieally the extension section with respect to the body section to a limited extent, and air cushioning means for obviating shock between the sections at the end of the extending movement. One convenient way of providing for the required air cushioning eiect is to trap air in the annular chamber between the relatively movable tubes of the sections and utilizing it as a buler or cushioning medium. A hole may be formed in the chamber to enable the entrapped air to leak away and thereby relieve the pressure gradually.

In view of the inconvenient length of a fully extended device of the kind above described, and in view of the fact that there may be occasion to apply the lire-extinguishing medium at a short distance, means such as a clamp or stirrup may be provided on the outer or basic section of the device to retain the inner section or sections in the shrouded or collapsed condition. Such a clamp or stirrup may also be brought into play when storing the device in its shortened form.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a device of telescopic form in its collapsed condition, Figure 2 is a corresponding externalview, and Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the device.

The primary or body section of the device consists of a thin light rigid outer tube l of suitable material, say Duralumin, 11/2 inches (approximately) in diameter and a co-axial substantially smaller inner tube 2 of suitable material, say brass or copper, of a size and bursting strength suited to carry the iiuid supplied to it from a container of nre-extinguishing fluid under presasaoev sure, it being understood that a flexible hose from the container (not shown) delivers the fluid to the co-axial inner tube 2 through a suitable connecting piece 3 such as the connection of banjo construction shown on the base or handle 4 of the device. The secondary or extension section of the device comprises a thin light outer tube 5 of suitable material, say Duralumin, 11/8 inches diameter (approximately) and a co-axial inner tube 6 of suitable material, say brass or copper, of say 1/4 inch internal diameter.

The outer tube i of the body section is pro" vided at its lower end with a centrally bored plug 7, and is provided at its upper end with a guide sleeve il for guiding the outer tube 5 of the extension section. The inner tube of the body section is connected at its lower end by a nipple 9 to the plug I and is provided at its upper end with a gland member l@ carrying a leather Washer Il to serve as a seal against the sliding inner surface of the tube 5, and a second leather washer i2 to serve as a seal against the sliding outer surface of the innermost tube t.

At the lower end of the tube 5 of the extension section is secured a bush i3 serving as a guide or slidable bearing on the tube ii. At an intermediate point along the said tube .E is secured a gland member M carrying a leather washer l5 to serve as a seal against the sliding outer surface cf the inner tube 2. At the upper end orn the outer tube 5 o f the extension section is iitted an ejection nozzle i5 with discharge horn il set at a convenient delivery angle. The actual delivery passage through the ejection nozzle is connected by a nipple i8 with the upper end of the innermost tube 6. In the wall of the outer tube and in advance of the gland member le thereon is formed a relief hole le (Figure 3). The ejection nozzle i5 is mounted on a plug 2t iitted into the upper end of the tube 5.

The plug 'i at the lower end of the cuter tube i is connected to the upper end of the handle i which is provided with a control cock; 2 i.

The manner in which the device is used and operates will be readily understood. Assuming that the parts are in the position shown and that nre-extinguishing medium under pressure is entering the device at the banjo connection 3, the uid passes through the open cock 2i and along the innermost tube t and escapes through ejection nozzle te. Owing to the restriction to flow offered by the nozzle IS, an end pressure is exerted by the medium on the tube causing the tubes 5 and E of the extension section to move telescopically along the tubes i and 2. During the latter part of the telescopic movement the air trapped in the annular chamber 23 between the gland members iii and it becomes compressed and acts as a buer to check the violence of the extending action of the device. rlhe hole iii in the wall of the tube enables the pressure to die down gradually and thereby overcome any tendency 0i the extended tubular device to contract when the pressure that produced the extension drops at the end of the discharge of the medium.

When the device is in storage or when it is required for use without being extended, the extension section is held in the collapsed or shortened position by a stirrup 2d.

It is to be noted particularly that the two inner tubes 2 and 6 do not diier greatly in diameter and that in consequence no difliculty should arise when using carbon dioxide stored under its own vapour pressure such as is known to occur when it passes suddenly from one passage to another of greatly diiTerent cross section.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereby, as various alternatives of detail Will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

l. In a portable device for delivering fire extinguishing medium under pressure, the combination of a handle member having a passage extending therethrough provided with an outlet and with an inlet adapted to be connected to a source of nre extinguishing medium under pressure, an outer tube having one end secured to said handle member, a guide sleeve secured to the other end of said tube, an inner tube coaxially disposed with respect to said outer tube having one end secured to said handle member in fluid ow communication with said outlet oi said handle member passage, a gland member secured to the other end of said inner tube hav ing an interior and an exterior sealing member, a discharge head having a passage extending therethrough provided with an inlet and an outlet, a discharge directing shield secured to said head having a nozzle connected in iiuid flow communication with said outlet of said discharge head passage, a second outer tube having one end secured to said head and being telescopically disposed within said rst outer tube between said guide sleeve and said exterior sealing member or said gland member, a second gland member secured to said second outer tube member having a sealing member for forming a fluid pressure tight seal between said second outer tube and said inner tube cooperating with said exterior sealing member to provide a compression zone bet veen said second outer'tube and said inner tube, said second outer tube having an aperture therein between said second gland member and said discharge head for gradually relieving pressure in the compression zone, and a second inner tube having one end secured to said discharge in fluid flow communication with said inlet of said discharge head passage and extending through said interior sealing member of said first gland member and into said first inner tube in telescopically disposed relation and with its other end in fluid now communication with said outlet of said handle member passage.

2. In a portable device for delivering re extinguishing medium under pressure according to claim l, wherein said guide sleeve and said discharge head are provided with cooperating latching means for locking said outer tubes and said inner tubes against relative movement.

3. In a portable device for delivering fire extinguishing medium under pressure, the coinbination of a handle member having a passage extending therethrough provided with an outlet and with an inlet adapted to be connected to a source of re extinguishing medium under pressure, an outer tube having one end secured to said handle member, a guide sleeve secured to the other end of said tube, an inner tube coaxially disposed with respect to said outer tube having one end secured to said handle member in fluid flow communication with said outlet ofy said handle member passage, a gland member secured to the other end of said inner tube having an interior and an exterior sealing member, a discharge head having a passage extending therethrough provided with an inlet andan out'- let, a discharge directing shield secured to said head having a nozzle connected in fluid flow communication with said outlet of said discharge head passage, a second outer` tube having one end secured to said head and being telescopically disposed within said first outer tube between said guide sleeve and said exterior sealing member of said gland member, a second gland member secured to said second outer tube member having a sealing member for forming a fluid pressure tight seal between said second outer tube and said inner tube cooperating with said exterior sealing member to provide a compression zone between said second outer tube and said inner tube, and a second inner tube having one end secured to said discharge head in iluid flow communication with said inlet of said discharge head passage and extending through said interior sealing member of said first gland member and into said first inner tube in telescopically disposed relation and with its other end in uid ow communication with said outlet of said handle REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number' Name Date Re. 16,714 Reedy Aug. 23, 1927 316,375 Lieb Apr. 21, 1885 1,128,406 Burgess Feb. 16, 1915 1,742,691 Chapman Jan. 7, 1930 20 1,769,944 Crisp July 8, 1930 2,211,007 Funk Aug. 13, 1940 

